Special Education Services

Oklahoma serves over 95,000 students with disabilities in public schools, ages 3 through 21. There is a great demand to have highly qualified special education teachers serving these students. In an effort to retain the special education teachers currently working in Oklahoma public schools and to recruit new ones into the field, we have focused our work on providing personnel development for existing teachers and utilizing technology and other methods to recruit candidates.

Recruitment

Pathway II: Tuition Reimbursement for Special Education Majors
In an effort to recruit individuals into the field of special education, the SPDG has developed a program, Pathway II, to reimburse special education majors currently attending accredited Oklahoma institutions of higher education (IHE). This reimbursement is offered each semester.

Students who are currently enrolled in a special education program at an Oklahoma IHE are eligible to apply for selection in the Pathway II program. Applications are accepted each semester. If selected, participants are agreeing to do the following:
- Submit course grades and bursar’s receipt each semester;
- Pass the college courses with a “C” or better;
- Take a special education Oklahoma certification exam upon completion of college coursework and submit documentation of passing the exam;
- Receive a reimbursement of up to $3,000 for tuition and up to $100 for certification exams;
- Obtain a full-time special education teaching position and teach in an Oklahoma public school one (1) year for every semester receiving reimbursement.
Application may be downloaded and must be mailed in along with a Vendor Payee Form and a Service Commitment Letter.
Online Recruitment Tools
Through the State Personnel Development Grant, we began contracting with teachers-teachers.com (TTCM). TTCM is a company that provides a Web site for recruiting qualified candidates and posting vacancies. We have continued to contract with TTCM so all Oklahoma public districts will be able to continue recruiting highly qualified candidates through TTCM at no cost.

School districts, institutions of higher education, and the Oklahoma State Department of Education also have the opportunity to make use of oklahomateachingjobs.org as another means of posting vacancies. This service is provided at no cost to those schools, agencies, and organizations posting vacancies. If your district, school, or agency/organization does not have a username and password to use this site, please contact our office by calling (405) 521-3351. Users have individual free accounts so they have the freedom to post vacancies and delete them as they are filled.

Retention

Mentoring for New Special Education Teachers
The OSDE-SES developed a new program, the First-Year Special Education Teachers’ Academy. Participants include new graduates from college programs, special education teachers new to Oklahoma, and special education teachers who came from general education classrooms. Through the academy, over 200 participants receive personnel development, resources and materials, and technical assistance from OSDE-SES staff and contracted professionals. New teachers attend five meetings per year and receive a stipend upon successful completion.

To assist new teachers in their present positions, the State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG) put in place a mentoring program. Interested first year teachers are paired up with a mentor. These pairs attend each academy meeting, maintain a contact log, and engage in other activities that provide support to the new teacher. Mentoring will continue during the second and third years of teaching for the new teachers, as research shows that most special education teachers leave the field within the first five years of teaching. This program is in place to keep well-trained special education teachers in Oklahoma public school classrooms.
Personnel Development and Support for Administrators
In collaboration with the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration (CCOSA), we will provide three trainings per year for administrators on topics that will help support and retain special education teachers and related service providers. Research demonstrates that many special education teachers who do leave the field document lack of administrative support as one of the factors for their decision to leave.

CCOSA is instrumental in developing activities for administrators to assist them in several areas, particularly those that focus on retaining their staff. Our collaboration with CCOSA will help to assist administrators in learning more about special education students, policies, and procedures so they can support their new (and veteran) teachers with the daily work they must accomplish. Through these trainings, it is our hope that administrators will be equipped with tools to support their teachers in an effort to retain them. For upcoming CCOSA events, please visit www.ccosa.org.
Mentoring Program for New Special Education Directors
In collaboration with the Oklahoma Directors of Special Services (ODSS), the SPDG will provide support for new special education directors by pairing them with veteran directors. Mentor directors will be available to their mentees and provide technical assistance to assist them in their new positions. Through this mentoring program, the OSDE-SES will also develop a handbook to serve as a tool for new special education directors. Once developed, this handbook will be distributed to new directors and provided to ODSS as a resource for use with members.